Zach Bryan‘s wife, Samantha Leonard, had an extra special “something borrowed” on the couple’s wedding day in December.

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As the country singer revealed on Monday (Jan. 5) on his Instagram Story, his new spouse paid tribute to his late mother, Annette, by adding a sweet detail to her bridal gown. Sharing a photo of Leonard laughing on the big day as someone helps put on her veil, Bryan wrote, “Samantha went out of her way to put my mom’s wedding dress lace on her dress.”

“I cried for a good bit,” he continued. “Meant so much sweetheart, thank you.”

Bryan followed it up with a photo of his mom on her wedding day, writing, “Wish you were here about now gorgeous.”

The Grammy winner and his partner got married just before New Year’s, with Leonard sharing photos from the stunning ceremony in Spain on Instagram. Bryan also posted a photo of himself and Leonard in their wedding-day attire and quoted his idol Bruce Springsteen in the caption: “Tougher than the rest.”

The news came as a surprise to fans, who found out that Bryan was in a relationship with Leonard after the pair were first spotted together in summer 2025. The musician was previously married to Rose Madden from 2020 to 2021, after which he dated podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia — who later accused him of emotional abuse — from 2023 to 2024.

Bryan has also been open in the past about how much his mom means to him, making Leonard’s gesture on the day of their nuptials even more heartwarming. In November 2024, upon the release of his song “This World’s a Giant,” the singer shared a lengthy Instagram caption about visiting Annette’s gravestone in Oklahoma, eight years after her death in 2016.

“I came to realize just like in the past, that she never would call me again,” he wrote at the time. “Told her I quit touring because I got accepted to get my masters in Paris next year, I told her I was back in Oklahoma, told her about all my best friends in New York and all the nights we howled with the moon, told her about the immeasurable laughter my band and me have shared these last five years, all the calluses on my finger tips, every tear shed, told her about making it on The Rolling Stone and most importantly told her about porch swinging with my beautiful sister.”

Bryan’s next album, With Heaven On Top, is set to drop Friday (Jan. 9).


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The Universal Music Group has inked a new partnership with AI chipmaking giant NVIDIA “to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation and engagement,” the companies announced today (Jan. 6). The collaboration will involve research and development, the companies said, with an emphasis on “advancing human music creation and rightsholder compensation,” including the identification of copyrighted works in AI uses.

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Much of that collaboration will center on NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo initiative, launched in November, which allows for in-depth analysis of music below the surface level, digging into elements such as harmony, musical structure, tempo, instrumentation, key, lyricism, musical theory, cultural and historical context and dynamics, among other metrics, including things like emotional resonance and chord progressions. Universal sees that as being additive to the musical discovery process for fans — allowing for deeper connections to different songs, albums or artists based on more than just genre, scene or surface-level signifiers. It also sees it as additive for artists — who can now use it for in-depth analyses of their own works — as well as for fans to more deeply engage in the music they already love, in addition to finding new music that resonates.

“We’re excited to establish this ground-breaking strategic relationship which unites the world’s leading technology company with the world’s leading music company in a shared mission to harness revolutionary AI technology to dramatically advance the interests of the creative community and the role of music in global culture,” Universal chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge said in a statement. “We eagerly embrace the opportunities that AI presents, and the fact that NVIDIA is choosing to take a leadership position in the tech industry in their commitment to responsible AI principles is critically important. We look forward to working closely with NVIDIA to direct AI’s unprecedented transformational potential towards the service of artists and their fans as we work together to set new standards for innovation within the industry, while protecting and respecting copyright and human creativity.” 

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That last part — human creativity — will be addressed in a second part of the partnership, which will involve a dedicated artist incubator supported by both UMG and NVIDIA. Rather than promoting the hands-off generative AI music creation models that have emerged, the incubator will aim to bring together artists, songwriters and producers to see how they can better utilize NVIDIA’s AI tools to help to enhance their own creative processes, instead of replacing humans with click-of-a-button creation. “By prioritizing hands-on artist involvement, the incubator develops solutions that enhance originality and authenticity — serving as a direct antidote to generic, ‘AI slop’ outputs, and placing artists at the center of responsible AI innovation,” the companies said in a press release.

That will also extend to creative labs in UMG’s existing studios around the world, and UMG will utilize NVIDIA’s AI capabilities within its corporate structure, too. The NVIDIA deal follows other AI agreements that UMG has cut with companies, including Splice, Udio, KLAY, BandLab and more.

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“We’re entering an era where a music catalog can be explored like an intelligent universe — conversational, contextual and genuinely interactive,” NVIDIA’s vp/GM of media Richard Kerris said in a statement. “By extending NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo with UMG’s unmatched catalog and creative ecosystem, we’re going to change how fans discover, understand and engage with music on a global scale. And we’ll do it the right way: responsibly, with safeguards that protect artists’ work, ensure attribution and respect copyright.” 

Lorde, Stray Kids and A$AP Rocky will headline this summer’s Governors Ball Festival in New York. The festival announced the full lineup for the 2026 event at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Tuesday morning (Jan. 6), revealing that Baby Keem, Kali Uchis, BLACKPINK’s JENNIE, Katseye, Major Lazer, Pierce the Veil, Dominic Fike and more will take the stage from June 5-7.

Though Lorde played Gov Ball in 2017, this year marks her first time as a headliner, while Harlem native Rocky previously top-lined the event in 2021. He will have plenty of fellow New Yorkers to commiserate with that weekend, including Geese, The Dare, Del Water Gap, Arcy Drive and Lexa Gates, as well as up and comers The Backfires and Chanpan.

Other acts slated to perform this year include: Blood Orange, Clipse, Mariah The Scientist, Wet Leg, Amyl and The Sniffers, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, 2hollis, Ravyn Lenae, King Princess, The Beths, Snow Strippers, Thee Sacred Souls, Spacey Jane, Hot Mulligan, Fcukers, Rachel Chinouriri, Slayyyter and more. 

Fans can sign up now for the SMS pre-sale, which will kick off on Thursday (Jan. 8) from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. ET. The pre-sale is the only way to guarantee tickets at the lowest price; click here to sign up for a pre-sale passcode. Ticket prices will increase after 11 a.m. ET on Thursday when the public on-sale begins.

Last year’s 15th anniversary fest was headlined by Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo and Hozier, along with Benson Boone, Mk.gee, T-Pain, Conan Gray, Wallows, Mariah the Scientist, Royel Otis and more.

Gov Ball is teaming up with Spotify this year for an in-app experience that will spotlight the overlap between a user’s listening history and the 2026 lineup, generating a “Festival Persona” based on the attendees’ unique listening habits and a custom playlist pairing the fans’ top artists on the lineup; click here to personalize your Gov Ball experience.

Check out the full 2026 Governors Ball lineup here.



James Steven, the longtime head of Warner Music’s corporate communications, has moved to the Universal Music Group as its new executive vp/chief communications officer, UMG announced today (Jan. 6). The move, widely discussed in industry circles for weeks, will be made official when Steven starts on Jan. 26, reporting to UMG’s chief administration officer Will Tanous.

Steven, who initially joined Warner Music Group in 2007, had previously worked under Tanous at WMG, before Tanous moved to Universal in 2013 as executive vp/head of global communications. Steven then took over the top communications role in 2015, a position he has held for the past decade. Tanous himself was promoted to his current position in 2021, which gave him more strategic, corporate and policy responsibilities, leaving an opening for a top communications person at the world’s largest music company.

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“We welcome James to UMG and look forward to his contributions,” Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge said in a statement. “Given Will’s broadened role, it was important that we brought in a communications executive with experience and perspective — one who was able to step right in to help us continue to shape the future of music.”

While serving in the top comms job at Warner, Steven helped the company through a period of transition — not just in the broader recorded music business, which saw an uptick in fortunes due to widespread streaming adoption, but within the company itself. Warner became a public company once again through an IPO in 2020, and has gone through a major overhaul since the appointment of CEO Robert Kyncl in 2022, with its flagship labels Atlantic and Warner Records, as well as the broader corporate structure, all reshaped for a new era of the business. In his new role at UMG, Steven will have a global purview overseeing the company’s communications around the world.

“I know first-hand the extraordinary skill and dedication James brings to strategic communications and storytelling,” Tanous said in a statement. “His love of music and his broad experience across media and technology makes him an ideal fit for UMG as we enter the next phase of growth, driven by strategic initiatives that will unlock new opportunities for artists, songwriters and fans alike.”

In a press release announcing his new role, Steven did not comment.

Josh Charles has no complaints about appearing alongside his former Dead Poets Society co-star Ethan Hawke as mad scientists in the video for Taylor Swift‘s 2024 single “Fortnight.” Hell, after the clip won the video of the year prize at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Charles got his a Moon Person for his role.

“I got a Moon Man. It was pretty cool. The Video Music Awards, when I grew up, was the thing,” Charles, 54, told Jimmy Fallon on Monday night’s (Jan. 5) Tonight Show. “The idea that that came just speaks to what an incredibly generous, awesome person Taylor Swift is.”

Now, here’s where things got a bit dicey.

Fallon asked Best Medicine star Charles about rumors that he “got into a fight” with Swift’s fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, on the set of the video, a tale Hawke first shared last year on the Rich Eisen Show. During that appearance, Hawke said that Baltimore Ravens superfan Charles would not leave Kelce alone about the Chiefs’ heartbreaking 17-10 win over Baltimore in the 2024 AFC Championship game.

Specifically, Charles was worked up about a specific call he thought went the wrong way, with Hawke counseling his fellow actor to “let it go,” even as he praised Kelce being “super polite” about the awkward interaction.

“A fight? No, he exaggerated this. It wasn’t a fight,” Charles assured Fallon. “I’ve always liked Travis Kelce. I just thought he was so cool. But that year they beat us in the AFC Championship game — they beat the Ravens — he was a real jerk that year. So I kind of fell off of him.”

Describing the mood on set of the clip that also featured co-vocalist Post Malone, Charles said when he met Kelce he was blunt about his assessment of the sure-fire future football hall of famer, telling him, “‘You know I always liked you and this year you were kind of a d–k.’”

Fallon couldn’t believe it, shocked that Charles would confront the three-time Super Bowl champ, and legendarily good guy baller, saying, “You said that to Travis Kelce? He’s one of the most lovable people I know!”

Charles was unbowed, saying, “I did. I said, ‘What was up with that?’ And he laughed. He was like, ‘You know what, you’re right. I’m gonna tell you why.” The actor then said Kelce admitted that the Chiefs were “most worried about that game” that year and they were determined to come out on top. “He’s like, ‘I knew I had to come in with some swagger,’ and he did,” Charles said of Kelce. “He got one of our veterans to commit a personal foul. He got in our heads, and it worked for them, and they won the game.”

In the end, Charles admitted that Kelce was “actually great. We talked all different kinds of football… Such a good dude. I really like him a lot.” And even though Charles now really likes Kelce the man, when it comes to the gridiron, the star said his feelings still run purple, black, gold and red. “I’ll root against him,” Charles doubled-down of the football star who may have played his final game on Sunday, which the Chiefs lost in a 14-12 heartbreaker against the three-win Las Vegas Raiders.

And while Charles’ beloved Ravens won’t be making a Super Bowl run this year, he can take solace that Kelce will also be watching from home as the Chiefs will miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade this year after a dismal 6-11 season.

Watch Charles on the Tonight Show below.


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Over the course of 2026, we’ll be marking the 50th anniversaries of many music milestones, including the introduction of platinum awards; the presentation of the first Grammy for Latin music; The Ramones bringing punk rock to prominence; Elton John becoming the first major pop star to come out; and Stevie Wonder releasing his masterwork, Songs in the Key of Life.

We rounded up 20 milestone moments from 1976 which we’ll discuss in depth. But first, to get you in the Bicentennial Year spirit, here’s a quick 1976 chart flashback (using the chart names that Billboard used at the time):

  • Most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100: Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (seven weeks, plus one more week in 1977)
  • Most weeks at No. 1 on Top LP’s & Tapes: Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life (11 weeks, plus three more weeks in 1977)
  • Most weeks at No. 1 on Hot Country Singles: C.W. McCall’s “Convoy” (four weeks, plus two more weeks in 1975)
  • Most weeks at No. 1 on Hot Country LP’s: Waylon Jennings’ Are You Ready for the Country (nine weeks, plus one more week in 1977)
  • Most weeks at No. 1 on Hot Soul Singles: Johnnie Taylor’s “Disco Lady” (six weeks)
  • Most weeks at No. 1 on Soul LP’s: Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life (11 weeks, plus nine more weeks in 1977)
  • Most weeks at No. 1 on Easy Listening: Captain & Tennille’s “Muskrat Love” (four weeks)

Whether you lived through the year or just want to find out what you missed, here are 20 music milestones from 1976. They are listed in chronological order:

Céline Dion knows exactly what the kids are up to. At least now she does. The beloved international pop star finally joined TikTok this week and she did it in the most Celine way possible.

In a 17-second video posted on Monday (Jan. 5), Dion officially launched her TikTok era with a fun clip in which she reintroduced herself. “My name is Céline,” Dion, 57, said while wearing a black hoodie from the French fashion house that happens to share her first name before rhetorically asking how old she is. “I’ve got kids,” said Dion, perched in front of a glowing skyline and adopting a cool kid pose as she channeled her 14-year-old twin sons pleading with her, “‘We have to get you on TikTok!’”

Miming confusion, Dion, said, “On TikTok?,” with a sampled voice behind her yelping “WHAT?!”

“I’ve heard of that before. Suddenly I’m becoming cool,” she added as a Seinfeld-like bass thump bubbled up behind her and digital sunglasses were superimposed on her face. “Céline Dion is cool. That’s amazing,” she announced with the perfect amount of winky incredulity. “TikTok here I come!” Ciao.”

Dion let the caption do the heavy lifting. “They told me, ‘Celine, it’s time…’ I asked, ‘Time for what?’ Turns out…something completely new,” she wrote. “My team then said they’d handle everything, handed me back my phone, and then quietly disappeared. So here I am, learning how this TikTok world works…one video at a time! Thank you for being here, I’m glad we’re here together.”

So far, Dion’s TikTok adventure includes just the one introductory video, though her feed is populated with earlier videos from her other social feeds.

As last year ended, Dion was in a silly mood, dressing up as the Grinch to do the a monologue from the 2000 Jim Carrey-starring How the Grinch Stole Christmas and crooning her legendary cover of Eric Carmen’s ballad “All By Myself.” Then, on New Year’s Eve, Dion shared a heartfelt message to her fans, telling them, “As we welcome this new year, I want to take a moment to send you all my love. May this year bring you good health, happiness and peace in your heart. I hope you find laughter in the little things, strength in the hard times and joy in the memories you create with those you love.”

The TikTok bit is one of the rare recent appearances by Dion, who has been less visible over the past few years following her diagnosis with the neurological disorder stiff-person syndrome in 2022, which seriously affected her voice and caused uncontrolled tremors, forcing her to cancel a planned 2023-2024 world tour to focus on her health.

Watch Dion make her TikTok debut below.

@celinedion

They told me, “Celine, it’s time…” I asked, “Time for what?” Turns out…something completely new. My team then said they’d handle everything, handed me back my phone, and then quietly disappeared. So here I am, learning how this TikTok world works…one video at a time! Thank you for being here, I’m glad we’re here together. – Celine xx…

♬ original sound – Celine Dion


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Indie music publisher and neighboring rights company Peermusic has promoted Paul Smelt to COO, it was announced Tuesday (Jan. 6).

In the newly created role, Smelt, who was previously COO of Peermusic Neighbouring Rights, will oversee the administration of publishing and neighboring rights for Peermusic’s global offices on a day-to-day basis. He’s based out of the company’s offices in Amsterdam and will report to CEO Mary Megan Peer.

Smelt joined Peermusic in 2020 after the company acquired Global Master Rights, the neighboring rights company he co-founded with Erik Veerman. In his previous role as COO of Peermusic Neighboring Rights, he helped develop the company’s proprietary neighboring rights software, leading an operations team based out of Montreal, Amsterdam and Biarritz, France.

Before co-founding Global Master Rights in 2014, Smelt worked at the neighboring rights organization SENA.

“Paul has been crucial in the integration of the three neighbouring rights companies we acquired in 2020 as their COO,” said Peer in a statement. “We look forward to his continued success as he takes on this role in supporting our publishing operations as well. Paul’s expertise and client focus make him a perfect fit for peermusic’s priorities. We are fortunate that peermusic can draw on the integrity and leadership that Paul brings in this newly created position.”

Smelt added, “It’s an honor to work alongside a team of people that are dedicated to creating firsts in this industry and that consistently inspire me by their knowledge, network and level of service to the music community. I am grateful that Mary Megan has entrusted me with this position and for the opportunity to honor Peermusic’s history of championing songwriters and artists for nearly 100 years.”


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David Bowie’s 1977 classic “Heroes” is seeing a major resurgence on streaming platforms following its prominent placement in the finale of Netflix’s Stranger Things, which premiered Dec. 31.

According to new Luminate data, the song experienced a spike of nearly 500% in streams after soundtracking the end credits of the series’ final episode.

Over the previous five months, “Heroes” had averaged approximately 94,000 daily streams. That figure jumped sharply in the days following the finale’s release, reaching roughly 342,000 streams on Jan. 1, 456,000 on Jan. 2, and 470,000 on Jan. 3 — representing a 3.6- to 5-times increase over its typical daily performance.

The placement marked a full-circle moment for the series, which has become closely associated with 1980s music throughout its run.

In earlier seasons, the show famously used a cover of “Heroes” by Peter Gabriel, making the finale’s use of Bowie’s original recording a deliberate callback.

In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed that the idea to use Bowie’s version came from cast member Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington.

“It was actually Joe Keery who suggested that we do the Bowie version,” Ross Duffer said. “Once Joe said that, we immediately knew that was the right song to end the show on because it is, in some ways, an anthem for Stranger Things. To use the original Bowie version just felt fitting for the conclusion.”

Keery also saw a streaming boost of his own following the finale. His music project Djo experienced renewed attention, with his 2022 track “End of Beginning” climbing to No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Chart this week, according to Rolling Stone, displacing Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia,” which had held the top spot for several weeks.

Music has long played a central role in Stranger Things, which helped reintroduce a new generation of listeners to catalog tracks from the 1980s. Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” famously returned to global charts in 2022 after appearing in Season Four, while the finale also featured Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain.”

The Duffer Brothers told Tudum that music selection was especially critical in the final episode, which centered around a record player used as a key plot device. “We never talked about a song choice as much as we did for that moment,” Ross Duffer said. “We knew we needed an epic needle drop, and so many ideas were thrown around. I think there’s nothing really more epic than Prince.”

“Purple Rain” has seen a 243% increase in Spotify streams, with global Gen Z listeners driving a reported 577% surge.